Pearls have been prized since ancient times, loved by civilisations in China, Egypt, Greece and Rome.
They have come to symbolise purity, faith, charity, integrity, truth and loyalty and have long been a popular choice for brides.
For centuries, pearls have been a favourite among royal women with the gemstones forming a big part of jewellery vaults across the world.
From Princess Diana, to Queen Elizabeth, Crown Princess Mary and Queen Maxima, pearls are universally flattering and go with just about every look.
They are also the birthstone for June and the traditional 30th wedding anniversary present.
There are many different types of pearls, with Australian South Sea pearls being among the most valuable.
Continue through to see some of the most beautiful pearl jewellery worn by royal women through the years.
The Princess of Wales wore these iconic earrings once owned by Diana to the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, at Westminster Abbey.
Kate first wore the diamond and pearl earrings to the BAFTAs in 2019 but swapped Diana's large South Sea pearls for a smaller set.?
That is how they have remained since.
Kate's pearls are slightly smaller, and more oval in shape, than the ones Diana used to wear with the earrings.?
These were one of Diana's most iconic pairs of pearl earrings and featured an elaborate diamond clasp.
South Sea pearls are known to be the most exclusive in the world and are grown in Australia, parts of south-east Asia and the Pacific.
Diana also wore the earrings in Sydney in 1996 and in 2019.
Diana wore her beautiful South Sea pearl and diamond earrings again, here, in 1997, for a gala dinner in Washington D.C, in honour of the American Red Cross.
The event was to be the last time Diana ever gave a speech in public.
The then-Duchess of Cambridge wore these diamond and pearl drop earrings borrowed from the late Queen Elizabeth II during the 2022 Caribbean royal tour.
This outfit, in Jamaica, outfit bore a striking similarity to a dress worn by Queen Elizabeth in 1954, at a garden party during her visit to Australia.
The duchess wore a pearl bracelet once owned by Diana, Princess of Wales.
The then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sat for their first official joint portrait, unveiled in Cambridge on June 23 2022.
The painting, which looks remarkably like a photograph, was created by British artist Jamie Coreth, who was invited to Kensington Palace for several sittings.
The artwork intends to celebrate the couple's ties to Cambridgeshire and was commissioned for their 10th wedding anniversary in 2021.
In the portrait the duchess has chosen jewellery that honours the royal family, including the Queen and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Kate wears a diamond and pearl brooch owned by a previous Duchess of Cambridge named, appropriately, the Duchess of Cambridge brooch.
Its original owner was Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge, who was the daughter-in-law of George III.
The jewel passed into the royal collection and is now owned by Queen Elizabeth II.
The portrait marks the first time Kate has worn the historic jewel.
The duchess is also wearing Princess Diana's pearl and diamond Collingwood earrings and Diana's three-strand pearl bracelet ¨C pieces she has worn frequently since the royal wedding.
Kate also debuted a new pair of glamorous heels, the 'Hangisi' satin stilettos by Manolo Blahnik, a perfect match for her emerald frock by The Vampire's Wife.
Kate has worn Princess Diana's diamond and pearl Collingwood earrings many times since marrying Prince William.
They are clearly one of Kate's favourites and were chosen for her milestone 40th birthday portrait and here at a memorial service to Prince Philip in March, 2022.
Kate wore Princess Diana's diamond and pearl Collingwood earrings to a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on October 23, 2018.
She also wore Queen Mary's Lover's Knot tiara, which was a favourite of Princess Diana's.
Kate has since worn this piece the most out of any other tiaras available to her.
The duchess also wore Queen Alexandra's wedding necklace, gifted upon her marriage to the future King Edward VII in 1863.
The striking necklace was worn by the Queen Mother and passed to Queen Elizabeth.
The duchess became the first member of the royal family to wear the necklace since the Queen Mother's death in 2002.
The tiara is frequently ¨C and mistakenly ¨C called the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara, but that tiara is a separate piece.
Queen Mary was a big admirer of the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara, which was made in 1818 for her grandmother Princess Augusta of Hesse.
That tiara passed to Queen Mary's aunty, Grand Duchess Augusta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
Queen Mary loved the piece so much she had a replica made in 1913, which became known as the Queen Mary's Lover's Knot tiara.
The original Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara was later sold at auction at Christie's in Geneva in May 1981 for more than $747,000 to an anonymous buyer, and is presumed to be in an unknown private collection.
Kate wears Queen Mary's Lover's Knot tiara here at a diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace on in December 2018.
For the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, Kate wore a pair of earrings borrowed from Her Majesty.
The duchess wore the Queen's pearl and diamond Bahrain earrings, which were made using pearls gifted for her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947.
The earrings were last seen on the Duchess of Cambridge at the funeral of Prince Philip in April 2021.
Kate also wore the Japanese four-row pearl choker with diamond clasp, which forms part of Queen Elizabeth's royal collection.
It was made by Garrard from pearls gifted to Her Majesty by the Japanese government in the 1970s. It features four rows of pearls and a statement diamond clasp.
It was worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1982 during a State Banquet at Hampton Court Palace, during the visit of Queen Beatrix from the Netherlands.
The Duchess of Cambridge wore the piece in 2017, for a party celebrating the 70th wedding anniversary of the Queen and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle.
The Duchess of Cambridge chose large Balenciaga pearl earrings for a service at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Thiepval Memorial for the Commemoration of Centenary of The Battle of the Somme on June 30, 2016 in Albert, France.
The Italian-made earrings are made from simulated pearls and glass and are clip ons.
The earrings, and their matching necklace, were again seen on the then-Duchess of Cambridge during a visit to Poland in July, 2017.
A hairnet studded with pearls was used to decorate Kate's hair during her visit to Malaysia in 2012, seen at a Diamond Jubilee Tea Party at the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
The then-Duchess of Cambridge wore another pair of the Queen's pearl and diamond earrings during a visit to The Netherlands in 2016.
Diana, Princess of Wales, loved pearls.
The Queen Mary's Lover's Knot tiara became one of Diana's most iconic looks even though she wore it just a few times, complaining its weight gave her headaches.
The Princess of Wales is wearing the tiara, here, in Washington D.C., in November, 1985.
She also wears the Collingwood pearl earrings, a wedding present from Collingwood Jewellers.
The Collingwood pearl and diamond earrings became one of Diana's most frequently worn pairs, and along with the Queen Mary's Love's Knot tiara, are now often seen on the Duchess of Cambridge.
This Catherine Walker outfit, heavily encrusted with pearls, become known as Diana's 'Elvis dress' and was worn in Hong Kong, in 1989.
On Diana's head was the Queen Mary's Lover's Knot tiara.
The Princess of Wales is also wearing a three-row diamond and pearl bracelet, which was later seen on the Duchess of Cambridge in Berlin, in 2017, and again during the Caribbean royal tour.
Choker necklaces were a favourite of Diana's and this one is, perhaps, her most delicate.
It features 11 strands of pearls, separated by small diamonds and rubies.
They matched perfectly with Diana's pearl earrings, also decorated with diamonds and rubies.
The choker is worn here with a glittering red Bruce Oldfield gown at the premiere of Hot Shots, in Leicester Square, in November 1991.
Here, the late royal wore the 11-strand pearl choker in Chicago, for a gala dinner in June 1996.
She is also wearing amethyst and diamond cluster drop earrings.
The Princess of Wales was given a large sapphire brooch, surrounded by diamonds, by the Queen Mother as a wedding present.
Diana had the brooch reset into this piece, as she wasn't too fond of wearing brooches in the traditional way.
The sapphire was attached to a seven-strand pearl choker, seen here at the CDFA Fashion Awards in New York, in 1995, along with the sapphire double drop earrings.
These earrings were worn by the Duchess of Cambridge to Trooping the Colour in 2022 for the first time.
This four-stand pearl choker was another favourite of Diana's.
She is wearing it here for a ceremony in Hyde Park, in London, to mark the 50th anniversary of VE Day on May 7, 1995.
She wore a large pair of pearl earrings, surrounded in gold, to complete the look.